Half shoe for plaster casts



R. A. HQLSTRGM ,$091,821

HALF-SHQE FOR PLASTER CASTS Filed mue 25, '19138 Patented May 30,v 1950rem' orrrc HALF SHOE FOR PLASTER CASTS Reuben Arthur Holstrom,Silverton, Oreg.

Application June 25, 1948, Serial No. 35,221

(C1. ISG-8.5)

2 Claims. l

This invention relates to coverings adapted to be worn over plastercasts by persons suffering from foot or leg injuries.

An important object of my invention is to provide a half-shoe comprisinga united vamp section of flexible material and heel section of resilientmaterial adapted to be held on the cast by lacings or other fasteningmeans so as to protect and strengthen the ankle portion of the cast aswell as to retain the foot in a more normal, heel-elevated position whenthe patient is engaged in the act of walking.

Another object of my invention is to provide a half-shoe of the abovecharacter which includes cushioning means for the heel portion of thecast so as to relieve the foot of shocks and strains and to permit thepatient to move about more freely and with the least amount ofdiscomfort.

Still another obiect of my invention is to provide a half-shoe of theabove character adapted to enclose only the ankle, instep and heelportions oi the plaster cast, the construction and arrangement beingsuch as to render the halfshoe flexibly adjustable to t different sizesand shapes of casts.

The invention will be more clearly understood from the followingdetailed description of a preferred embodiment of the invention,reference being had to the annexed drawing in which:

Figure l is a perspective view showing the manner in which the half-shoeis adapted to be worn over a plaster cast;

Figure 2 is a side view of the half-shoe;

Figure 3 is a vertical cross-sectional view through the half-shoe takenon the line 3-3 of Figure 2; and

Figure 4 is a transverse cross-sectional view through the half-shoetaken on the line 4--4 of Figure 2.

In Figure 1 of the drawing is illustrated the leg oi a patient having arigid plaster cast I applied thereto and showing how my half-shoe S isarranged to be worn thereon so as to cover only the ankle, instep andheel portions of the cast, leaving the other (toe) end of the castprojecting outwardly beyond the half-shoe.

The half-shoe comprises a vamp 2 made of flexible material, such asleather, adapted to encircle the cast and this vamp extends upwardlysubstantially above the ankle portion. The vamp passes around the rearpart of the cast, where it is reinforced by a leather strip 3, and thetwo forward end flaps 2a of the vamp fold toward each other over theinstep portion of the cast. These 2 ilaps, which are marginallyreinforced by narrow leather strips 3a, are held together by laces 4threaded through longitudinal rows of eyelets 5 provided therein.

The lower edges of the vamp are stitched to a sole shank 6, andoverlying and cemented to the sole shank is an inner sole 1. A rubberheel 8 is attached to the sole shank by nails 9 and embedded in thisrubber heel is a series of fabric cords or plugs III for the purpose ofreducing Wear upon the heel Inside the half-shoe above the heel 8 isinserted a cushion II of resilient material, such as rubber, forabsorbing the pressure between the cast and insole. Encircling the heelportion of the vamp inside the shoe is a counter IIa for stiffening thevamp and. causing it to yieldingly engage the plaster cast.

In order that the half-shoe may adapt itself to different sizes andshapes of plaster casts, and to changes resulting from expansion andconstruction of the cast itself, the sides of the vamp are formed withcut-outs I2 of substantial area located in the zone between the heel andankle portions of the cast. The two sides of the Vamp are cut away on aforwardly-extending arc, as indicated at I3, from a point adjacent theinner end of the heel 8 so that the ilaps 2al at their lower endsterminate in a pair of narrow tongues The half-shoe just described withthe laces 4 removed and the flaps 2a spread apart, allows the cast to beinserted therein with the heel portion of the cast resting upon thecushion II and the stiiiiy-flexible counter snugly engaging its sides.The flaps are then laced together over the instep so as to firmly securethe half-shoe to the cast. Because of the cut-outs I2, the exible sidesof the vamp are free to adjust themselves to irregularities in the shapeof the cast.

In walking, the heel end of the cast is held in a natural, elevatedposition by the heel 8 by reason of which the leg is relieved of strainsuch as occurs when the cast flatly engages the floor. Also the shocksand jars which would normally be transmitted through the heavy, rigidplaster cast to the injured member encased within the cast, areeffectively absorbed by the rubber heel 8 and the even more resilientcushion I I. Thus, the patient is able to freely move about with aminimum amount of inconvenience or discomfort.

The vamp 2 may be made in two sections, instead of one, and may becomposed of a tough fabric, such as canvas or duck, or of' a plasticmaterial, instead of leather. In View of the excessive strains imposedupon the half-shoe by the heavy plaster cast, it is advisable to avoidseams, so far as possible, which are apt to pull apart under tension.Also the resilient cushion Il may be permanently affixed to the insideof the half-shoe; however, I prefer to make the cushion removable inorder that cushions of different thicknesses may be substituted to takecare of casts of different sizes when worn with the same half-shoe.

It is to be understood that various changes and modifications inconstruction and design of the half-shoe described above may be madewithout departing from the spirit of the invention as defined by thefollowing claims.

I claim:

1. A half-shoe adapted to be worn over plaster casts comprising a vampof exible material for encircling the ankle portion and including a pairof elongated forwardly-projecting flaps adapted to overlie the instepportion of the cast, fastening means on said flaps for drawing the napstogether to secure the vamp onto the cast, a heel of substantialelevation attached to the vamp and located to correspond to the heelportion of REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record inthe le of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 425,093 Cooper Apr. 8, 1890FOREIGN PATENTS Number Country Date 24,157 Great Britain Oct. 20, 1894of 1893

